Europe, 1890-1945

Crisis and Conflict

Robin W. Winks and R. J. Q. Adams

Europe, 1890-1945

Crisis and Conflict

Robin W. Winks and R. J. Q. Adams

Description

The first half of the twentieth century was of one of the most turbulent periods in Europe's history. While social theorists challenged orthodox ways of thinking about the establishment of a "good society," scientists offered up new visions of the workings of the universe. Women fought for increased power within the altered social landscape, and change and controversy reigned in the worlds of art and culture. The chaos of world politics ushered in the two great wars, which would forever alter Europe's position in the world. Europe, 1890-1945 offers a concise, accessible overview of this tumultuous time period. It provides a clear outline of the political events that shaped the age and offers a discussion of the seismic shifts in social and cultural landscapes. Topics covered include the rise of modernism in the arts, Social Darwinism and its effects on theories of race, the making of "national" identities, the origins of the modern ecology movement, and the changing roles of women in an era of war and violence. The authors thoroughly analyze the causes and effects of the two great wars, while reaching beyond Europe to discuss the events in the United States, Africa, and Asia that contributed to the evolving face of world politics. With nine maps for easy reference, chapter summaries to aid in reader comprehension, a detailed chronology, and twenty-four photographs, Europe, 1890-1945 is an ideal text for undergraduate courses that explore the crisis and conflict that governed the early twentieth-century European world.

Europe, 1890-1945

Crisis and Conflict

Robin W. Winks and R. J. Q. Adams

Table of Contents

1. The New Age European PeoplesThe Creative PassionThe New SciencesNew Visions of SocietyFreud and the Science of the MindNew WomenSummary2. The Modernization of Nations Political IdeasBritain: Toward Democracy and CrisisFrance: The Third Republic, 1890-1914Italy: Unity and FrustrationGermany: The Nation-StateAustria Hungary: Dividing Humanity into NationsImperial Russia: The Struggle for ModernityThe Autocratic Monarchies in 1914The United States: The Emerging Great PowerSummary3. Great War, Great Revolution Causes of the WarThe Course of the WarThe Home FrontsThe Peace SettlementsThe Russian Revolution of 1917The EnvironmentSummary4. Between the Wars: A Twenty-Year Crisis The First Triumph of Fascism: ItalyThe Weimar Republic: Germany, 1918-1933Germany Under Hitler, 1933-1939Authoritarianism in IberiaSuccessor States to the Habsburg EmpireOther Authoritarian Regimes in EuropeThe Soviet UnionSummary5. The Democracies and the Non-Western World Great BritainFranceThe United StatesThe East Meets the West: Western History and World HistorySummary6. The Second World War and Its Aftermath International Politics Between the WarsThe Road to War, 1931-1939World War II, 1939-1942Victory for the United NationsAftermathSummaryChronologySuggested Readings